Review: Kylie Minogue @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre 18/02/25
There’s only one Kylie Minogue. The Princess of Pop performed a career-defining set that cemented her legacy as one of the greatest pop stars to ever do it.
Words by Tobias Handke
Erik Melvin
Kylie Minogue w/Mallrat @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre Arena 18/02/25
If there were any doubts surrounding Kylie Minogue’s place in the popstar Pantheon, they were put to rest after she dazzled Adelaide with a performance for the ages. In town for the second date of her much-hyped Tension Tour, the Melbourne-born Grammy winner had the close to sold-out AEC Arena crowd in the palm of her hand. Charming and vivacious, the forever-smiling Minogue curated a hit-filled setlist that touched on all eras of her career
But before Minogue dazzled those in attendance, Brizzy popstar Mallrat got things underway with a delightful opening set of indie pop tunes. There’s no doubting Mallrat’s talent and knack for writing catchy hooks, but sadly the audience just wasn’t vibing with her. They were all here to see one woman.
Decked out in glittery dresses and sparkling costumes, the female-dominated crowd jumped out of their seats the moment Kylie appeared on stage – sitting on a swing high in the air as blinding blue lasers enveloped the audience. Launching into ‘Lights Camera Action’, taken from her latest album, Tension II, Minogue turned the AEC Arena into a rave of epic proportions.
Wearing a silver dress (the first of four different outfits worn throughout the show), Minogue asked, “Adelaide, how are we doing tonight?” The response was a deafening roar that brought a smile to the singer’s face – one that barely left all night.
Minogue’s set was divided into several acts and featured more hits than a heavyweight boxing match. The first act saw the diminutive songstress smash through some of her biggest tunes. ‘In Your Eyes’ had one elderly lady dancing like Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. A shortened version of ‘Get Outta My Way’ created a club atmosphere with an electrifying light show. ‘Come Into My World’ began life as a piano ballad before transforming into an electro-banger. Ending Act I was the ARIA Single Chart #1 ‘Spinning Around’ – the crowd were in raptures as shouts of “I love you Kylie” rang out around the arena before the popstar disappeared through the stage floor.
Minogue returned minutes later in a new outfit (red pants, red top and red sleeveless jacket) and went straight into Light Years cut, ‘On a Night Like This’. Taking small moments to point to people in the crowd and comment on their outfits, Minogue invited an ecstatic young girl on stage for a hug and the obligatory selfie before ‘Shocked’, leaving her with a memory she won’t forget. ‘Better the Devil You Know’ saw Minogue’s eight backup dancers (who were brilliant all night), dressed in costumes resembling the Teletubbies, providing a few laughs in the crowd.
Minogue took everyone back to 1987 with a rendition of her first major hit, ‘The Loco-Motion’. Starting the song on the main stage, halfway through Minogue walked through the crowd to a smaller stage setup at the back of the arena. Here she performed a ripping rendition of ‘Hold On To Now’ that showcased how powerful Minogue’s voice is despite her diminutive size.
Taking requests, Minogue went acapella, singing snippets of her songs ‘Limbo’, ‘Please Stay’ and ‘I Should Be So Lucky’. Handing out roses to the audience, Minogue dedicated her Nick Cave duet ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’ to a woman whose birthday fell on the next day. Aided by her guitarist, Minogue turned ‘Say Something’ into a compelling ballad, with the crowd lighting up the arena with their phones. A disco ball dropped from the ceiling as Minogue performed a medley of dance hits – ‘Supanova’, ‘Real Groove’, ‘Monday Blues’, ‘Where Does the DJ Go’ and ‘Last Night a DJ Saved My Life’.
Another costume change saw Minogue reappear in a black cloak for arguably the night's highlight – ‘Confide In Me’. The stage was covered with smoke as Kylie serenaded with a gothic take on the huge hit from her indie era. Minogue was mesmerising as she seemingly floated across the stage, sultryly asking everyone to ‘confide’ in her.
‘Slow’ was given the club treatment, ‘Timebomb’ featured ‘90s Madchester keys and ‘Padam Padam’ demonstrated Minogue’s ability to craft commercial pop songs 35+ years into her career. She rounded out the night with crowd favourites ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ and ‘All the Lovers’, complete with confetti cannons.
Encores are never needed, but there was no doubt Minogue would be back, and for once, it was worth the aggravation. ‘Tension’ turned the arena into a nightclub before Fever smash ‘Love At First Sight’ brought the house down. Fans were still cheering Minogue’s name as she disappeared via the stage’s trapdoor and the house lights came on.
Kylie Minogue is that rare breed of performer who’s able to reinvent themselves throughout the decades without losing fans, all while consistently dropping hit singles and albums. A performer in the true sense of the word, Minogue put on a legacy-cementing performance that will be hard to top.
